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'Pirates' Outsells 'Matrix' in High-Def Showdown

Posted by Zonk on from the i-thought-it-was-supposed-to-be-ninjas-not-kung-fu dept.

An anonymous reader writes "As Slashdot recently reported, last week saw the latest showdown between HD DVD and Blu-ray, with both formats bringing out the big guns in terms of high profile format-exclusive disc releases. In one corner were the Blu-ray exclusive releases of the first two 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films on Blu-ray — in the other, the HD DVD exclusive releases of 'The Matrix' Trilogy. So who won the sales battle? According to preliminary estimates, this one goes to 'Pirates' in a big way. The two 'Pirates' flicks sold an estimated 47,000 units, while the 'Matrix' sets sold just about 13,900 units. Is this an indication of movie quality, or another notch in the belt for the Blu-ray format?"

48 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. uggghhh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please raise your hand if you give a shit about this.

    1. Re:uggghhh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      _o/
      shit! it's not http://www.piratesxxx.com/ ... never mind.

    2. Re:uggghhh by slashthedot · · Score: 2, Funny

      Though a bit premature, it's an indication Blu-ray format is going to win over HD-DVD.

    3. Re:uggghhh by DAtkins · · Score: 4, Insightful

      How is this really an indicator? A new movie sells more copies than an old movie that people probably already have a copy of. I don't see how this really means anything?

    4. Re:uggghhh by Fred_A · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'll wait until the 6 star wars movies (which lots of people already have on VHS, laser disk *and* DVD) come out in either format to form an opinion.

      --

      May contain traces of nut.
      Made from the freshest electrons.
    5. Re:uggghhh by rebelcan · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's what I was thinking. Also, does anyone else think that maybe the release of PoTC 3 might have something to do with it?

      --
      God is dead -- Nietzsche
      Nietzsche is dead -- God
      Zombie Nietzsche lives! -- Zombie Nietzsche
    6. Re:uggghhh by livewire98801 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Perhaps Pirates just appeals to a wider audience than Matrix.

      I will be moved when ONE title is released to BOTH formats on the same day. A big title, perhaps we'll see that soon.

      --
      "He may be mad, but there's method in his madness. [...] It's what drives men mad, being methodical." G.K.Chesterton
  2. Wow.... by JargonScott · · Score: 5, Funny

    In this hand, I hold an apple. In the other, an orange.

    --
    Nuke Gay Whales for Jesus.
    1. Re:Wow.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No... in your right hand you hold an apple picked last year, and in your left hand you hold a fresh one. Most people seem to prefer the fresh apple.

      So does this reflect poorly on your right hand? Submitter must be on drugs to even suggest such a point.

    2. Re:Wow.... by Cerberus7 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No kidding. The Matrix set costs around $60-$70, while each Pirates movie is $20-$25. NO SHIT Pirates sold more units. Somebody needs to go back to economics class. The price difference alone, regardless of any other factor, is enough to make the Pirates releases more successful in terms of units sold.

      --
      I don't know about you, but my servers run on the power of cotton candy and happy thoughts. -Anonymous Coward
    3. Re:Wow.... by zoogies · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yep, it's really not fair to compare the sales of two products on different platforms (HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray) and expect it to be a reflection of the platforms themselves. At least on the consumer side, if you have the capability to play either, does it really matter? I really don't know - or care that much - about the specific differences between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, or which one "wins", for that matter. On the consumer end, much more important factors are price, and what the movie *is.*

      Also, Pirates '3' is out in theatres and has been on the advertising airwaves for a long time; it's been a long time since the Matrix trilogy concluded. That might also figure into the equation. If Pirates came out on Blu-Ray and Matrix came out on HD-DVD, how different would the results be? That might be a somewhat better indication of the relative success of each.

      Although, if you really wanted to compare how well HD-DVD was doing versus Blu-Ray, it'd probably be best to look at sales of exclusive blu-ray players, exclusive hd-dvd players, and combination players, wouldn't it?

    4. Re:Wow.... by eln · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Ideally, you would have the same movie at the same price on both formats if you wanted to do a direct compare. Hell, if you wanted demographic data you could do that with several movies that each appeal to a different demographic. But, since exclusivity is the name of the game these days, that's not likely to happen for a while.

    5. Re:Wow.... by Ngarrang · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No kidding. The Matrix set costs around $60-$70, while each Pirates movie is $20-$25. NO SHIT Pirates sold more units. Somebody needs to go back to economics class. The price difference alone, regardless of any other factor, is enough to make the Pirates releases more successful in terms of units sold. With those estimated prices (going with the low estimate), Pirates made about to $958,000, the Matrix 834,000. Going with the high estimate, Pirates made $1,175,000 to the Matrix making $973,000. That isn't much of a difference. The Matrix probably made a higher margin, as well. As a disc seller, I think I would prefer a higher margin.
      --
      Bearded Dragon
    6. Re:Wow.... by jimstapleton · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And you are charging $4 for the old apple, $2 for the new.

      --
      34486853790
      Connection too slow for X forwarding? Try "ssh -CX user@host"
    7. Re:Wow.... by Forge · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That's it exactly. People tend to buy the movies they love in the best available format (Available means it fits within the budget and the player they own).

      They generally do not buy movies they already own in another format. I.e. While DVD was the "hot thing" very few people bought DVD movies they already owned in VHS.

      With that in mind. How many Pirates fans haven't gotten around to buying Dead Man's Chest on DVD? Compare with Matrix fans. Hell, I could compile a Star Trek Univers (tm) boxed set in ANY format containing all the series, Movies and documentaries. I could then toss in a player and sell the whole package for $2000. Dosn't matter weather I pick Blue Ray or HD-DVD. It would outsell any other $2000 TV bundle.

      Darn. I should go back to school and study marketing, so I can know why this won't work.

      --
      --= Isn't it surprising how badly I spell ?
    8. Re:Wow.... by aichpvee · · Score: 2, Funny

      The Pirates movies are also considerably better than the Matrix. Even if they weren't they have a wider audience to begin with. Now sure how it's news, but does give me another chance to reiterate how lame the Matrix movies are so that's always worth something.

      --
      The Farewell Tour II
    9. Re:Wow.... by LokiSnake · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There is also the fact that Matrix is a decently "old" movie, and people that would've bought the trilogy has already purchased it in DVD format. Pirates is relatively recent, and perhaps a larger portion of its fan base has yet to buy the movie. I guess what I'm getting at here is that for most people, having the Matrix trilogy on HD DVD doesn't offer enough over normal DVD for people to repurchase it, and people that are paying for the Pirates movies wouldn't mind shelling out a little more for the better image quality.

    10. Re:Wow.... by aichpvee · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There's always that, but I think the quality issue (only the first Matrix movie is any good) and the wider audience (Pirates clearly has broader appeal) have a lot more to do with it.

      --
      The Farewell Tour II
    11. Re:Wow.... by aliquis · · Score: 2, Informative

      Also Pirates is funny, adventorus, exciting, works for the whole family, and Jack is HOT!

      Where only the first Matrix movie is good and that's sort of fucking old and noone would buy it again.

      So yes, of course Pirates sells more, whatever format, since it's a much better movie.

      Thought I still hope bluray wins just to piss Microsofts evil strategy of and also because there are plenty of bluray burners already.

  3. Or... neither by mikej · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Perhaps it's because there's an episode of the Pirates franchise in theaters now and we're being bombarded with its associated marketing campaigns, while nobody's thought much about The Matrix in the past few years.

    --
    Ideology breeds Hypocrisy. Just how much is up to you.
    1. Re:Or... neither by hendersj · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Except that the Matrix trilogy wouldn't have won out that way. I loved the first film, but #2 and #3 just didn't live up to the expectations set at the end of the first one. The effects were still mind-blowing, but the story just didn't carry the promise that the first one did.

      When at the end of the first film Neo said:

      "Now, I'm going to hang up this phone, and I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you...a world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world...where anything is possible."

      That set a pretty high expectation for the second movie. We didn't get to see anything like this, not in the second film, and not in the Animatrix either. The brothers failed to deliver on that promise.

      --
      Insanity is a gradual process; don't rush it.
    2. Re:Or... neither by thesolo · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, Blu-ray sold more, but you can't just arbitrarily pick two movies and choose a winner based on them, especially when the movies are priced wildly apart from each other, and appeal to two completely different demographics.

      I'm not a proponent of either setup, I don't have a single Blu-ray or HD-DVD disc. I just think the comparison here is flat-out stupid. Next thing you know, we'll have a Slashdot story about Casino Royale Blu-ray release outselling the HD-DVD version of Bruce Almighty.

    3. Re:Or... neither by dAzED1 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      how about the fact that consumers don't really care about the format war? The war, really, is fought on the front of "who can get the better releases." If blueray is successful in getting better releases, and the reason they have more sales is because their releases are better, then that is still a win for them.

      Feature-to-feature, the two formats are so close that 95% of the population won't even know that there is a difference. The other 5% really shouldn't care either, but they've got reputations to maintain, so they have to care about inane things.

      That Pirates is also in theatres and in advertisements right now doesn't make this any less of a win for the format...it makes it more of one.

    4. Re:Or... neither by CommunistHamster · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nonsense! The Edsel Citation had 29% more chrome trim, and is therefore more winningester.

    5. Re:Or... neither by hendersj · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yep, I saw the second and third. The thing about the Pirates franchise is that it's entirely Disney advertising - it's based on a theme park ride, for cryin' out loud. There's not really a promise of anything in those movies except pirates, fighting, and explosions. Oh, and maybe a story thread here and there.

      But Matrix set an expectation about there being a coherent story line, and in Matrix 2 and 3 they failed to meet that expectation. Like someone else here said, Pirates is something a 4-year-old might look forward to. Matrix? Not so much.

      (As to suitability, no, I personally don't think Pirates is suitable for a 4-year-old)

      Jim

      --
      Insanity is a gradual process; don't rush it.
    6. Re:Or... neither by maxume · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Are you a proud and happy owner of a Taurus? Is anyone?

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  4. time is the decider by SethJohnson · · Score: 5, Insightful



    It's been many years since Matrix was released. Hype has long since died over that franchise. Especially with the help of its weak sequels. Pirates has all kinds of current advertising and marketing hype surrounding it. No surprise people bought more of that hi-def title.

    Seth

    --
    $5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
  5. Please...this is silly by JohnnyComeLately · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A Disney release with broad appeal, versus a niche movie that sucked almost since it started....and you're surprised? My 4 year old wants to watch Pirates, but has 0 interest in Matrix. Does that mean my 4 yr old snubs my HD DVD XBox and wants a PlayStation3? LOL....please

  6. Or not. by thesolo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is this an indication of movie quality, or another notch in the belt for the Blu-ray format
    How about neither? If anything, it's an issue of price. Just look at the prices at Best Buy:
    Matrix Trilogy HD-DVD: $79.99
    Pirates of the Caribbean: $29.99

    At those prices, even though Pirates of the Caribbean sold many more units, it only brought in a roughly $200K more than the Matrix Trilogy.
    This is ridiculous comparison, the movies appeal to different fan bases, and are in completely different formats (trilogy box set versus individual movies sold separately). If this was a comparison of, say, the Matrix Trilogy released on both formats at the same price point, it would far more realistic.
  7. Apples to Oranges by whereiseljefe · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No, its an indication that the Matrix was just a release of a movie that quite a few people already had (and had a long time to obtain bargain-bin priced copies) where as Pirates were relatively new movies that I haven't seen drop below $14 yet.

    --
    http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/godsdebris/
  8. Price? by Spudtrooper · · Score: 5, Funny

    Pirates movie on Blu-Ray = $24
    Matrix set on HD-DVD = $75
    Declaring victory based on fuzzy math = Priceless

  9. Price Comparison by nevek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well Both Pirates Movies are priced around 27.99CDN
    The Matrix Set is priced at 89.99CDN

    I could see myself buying The First Matrix in HD for 27.99, but i'm not up for spending 90$ on 3 movies.

    Also if you check the numbers again - they are comparing the sale of 2 movies to 3? - Huh?

  10. Not the Quality of the Movies by eldavojohn · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Is this an indication of movie quality, or another notch in the belt for the Blu-ray format?
    In my opinion, this has nothing to do with movie quality.

    It has to do with how recent the movie is. Ever wonder why it costs you $1 to rent the DVD of The Sting from Blockbuster while War of the Worlds will cost you $5.89? It's not because War of the Worlds is a different movie, it's just more recent.

    Aside from the fact that the original Matrix came out in 1999 & the original Pirates movie came out in 2003, there's also the rating of the movies. All three Matrices were rated R, all three Pirates movies were rated PG-13. That's a big difference. Most parents will buy the Pirates movie and park their 10+ year old kid in front of them and consider it a babysitter.

    Never underestimate how much an R rating will detract from your profits. America is full of parents who believe that their children will turn into a foaming nutcase if they catch a glimpse of an adult situation, nudity or violence.

    My last point, Pirates is Disney. Never underestimate what the power of the mouse will do to promote a film no matter how crappy it is.
    --
    My work here is dung.
  11. Re:Or simply market saturation.... by bilbravo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    And what do you think will help win the format war? Selling more movies? Yeah, I thought so too... trash the PS3 all you want, but you just proved a point by doing so. BluRay seems to be selling more here.

    --
    Starmen.net
  12. Bloody marketing shills by Eukariote · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Is this an indication of movie quality, or another notch in the belt for the Blu-ray format?"
    Neither. This is astroturfing for the Blu-ray format.
  13. The Age Old Battle by Applekid · · Score: 5, Funny

    So does this mean that Pirates > Ninjas after all?

    --
    More Twoson than Cupertino
    1. Re:The Age Old Battle by Chris+Burke · · Score: 4, Funny

      The battle rages on. This only shows that Eyeliner Pirates > Trenchcoat Ninjas, which I think we already knew.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
  14. So nothing 1080p is really selling... by (H)elix1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Only 47k units moved? Yikes! From those numbers, neither player appears to be really selling at this point - even combined, the sales are not even close to 'old and busted' DVD media. I've got a 1080p monitor, but went with an upscaling DVD player (Oppo dv-981hd) until the format wars sort themselves out. From my 'customer' perspective, both formats are way over priced at this point and quite a risk. Might go with a dual mode player when they get to the $250 mark, but forget about it for now.

    --
    +++ UGUCAUCGUAUUUCU
    1. Re:So nothing 1080p is really selling... by Chris+Burke · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Only 47k units moved? Yikes! ... Might go with a dual mode player when they get to the $250 mark, but forget about it for now.

      I think both formats risk failing, or remaining niche products for many years to come, due to their inability to connect the dots. They know that people don't want to buy two players, but they're trying to ensure their own format succeeds by killing the other. Nobody is killing anybody with those kinds of numbers, even if a real comparison showed one selling 5x better than the other. It's like two kids setting up lemonade stands on the other side of the street. If one sells three cups and the other only sells one, does it matter? Neither are going to be buying the toy they wanted.

      There's really two things that are dooming both HD formats right now. Uncertainty and cost. Costs should decrease, but slowly unless there is increasing popular uptake for economies of scale. Uncertainty is preventing that, so they're only hitting the real early adopter market, a subset of the already limited number of people who can afford them. A multi-format player is the obvious way to go to at least get people willing to buy into the concept of HD if they can be sure their player won't be obsolete in two years.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
  15. Don't Know About You... by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 4, Informative
    The two 'Pirates' flicks sold an estimated 47,000 units, while the 'Matrix' sets sold just about 13,900 units. Is this an indication of movie quality, or another notch in the belt for the Blu-ray format?"

    Don't know about you, but I don't see either of those sales figures setting the world on fire. Not with 1.2 Billion DVD's being sold in 2004, and Finding Nemo selling 28 million DVDs alone in 2003.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
  16. The sales figures are just an illusion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    The world where these sales figures came from is just a construct.

    The real world is a post-apocolyptic wasteland run by robots, where only VHS cassettes are available.

  17. Dumb comparison by krelvin · · Score: 2, Insightful


    A better comparison would be the same move released both formats. Then the issue isn't the movie but rather the formats.

  18. Clearly... by DohnJoe · · Score: 3, Funny

    Clearly these evil pirates must be stopped.

  19. A better comparison by figleaf · · Score: 4, Informative

    Planet Earth is available on HDDVD & Blu-ray. The HDDVD version outsold the Blu-ray version.
    Today the HDDVD version is ranked #6 while the Blu-ray version is ranked #20 on Amazon for Disk sales.

  20. Re:I don't want to be a pirate. by Evanisincontrol · · Score: 2, Funny

    This?

  21. Also by Dancindan84 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Pirates pirate 'Pirates' more than pirates pirate 'Matrix'... discuss.

    --
    "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." - Oscar Wilde
  22. B-b-b-but DVD is still outselling both of them by My+name+is+Bucket · · Score: 2, Funny

    And we all remember how DVD sold 50 jillion kabillion in its first year.

  23. Could be that... by Altima(BoB) · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It could also be an indication that Keira Knightley is way hotter than Carrie Ann Moss...

    (by the way, not safe for work if you work for Pat Robertson...)

    --
    Yup...